Chris Forsberg, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Celtics hoping to work Smarter

The Boston Celtics are hoping to have rookie guard Marcus Smart back on the practice court on Wednesday afternoon. His return to game action won't be far behind and could come as early as Friday's matinee against the Chicago Bulls.

It's unfair to think that (1) Smart will be 100 percent healthy as he recovers from a severe ankle sprain and bone bruising or (2) his presence alone will remedy some of the woes that Boston's defense has endured this season, and particularly since he injured his left ankle earlier this month.

But Smart's return certainly will help Boston, giving the team back one of its most impactful players despite his rookie status.

Consider this: Smart owns the team's best on-court net rating -- the difference between the team's offensive and defensive ratings. Boston is plus-11.3 points per 100 possessions during Smart's 102 minutes of floor time. Most notably, Boston's defensive rating is 100.2 with Smart on the court, which is 6.7 points per 100 possessions better than the team's season average and 8.2 points better than when he's off the court.

You can make the case that it's a factor of a small sample size, but remember that two of Boston's early-season games came against Dallas and Toronto, the two top offenses in the league. The Celtics are a better defensive team when Smart is on the floor with his ability to harass multiple positions.

In individual defensive data logged by Synergy Sports, Smart is allowing a mere 0.61 points per play and ranks in the 97th percentile among all league players. The league's player tracking data might be even more impressive. Smart is limiting opponents to 28 percent shooting, which is a staggering 15.1 percent lower than the average of the shooters he's defending.

The Celtics showed some encouraging strides defensively in Sunday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Smart is only going to help the defense tighten up, particularly when you consider he'll be helping to defend players who have typically been checked by the likes of Evan Turner or Marcus Thornton, two players whose individual and team defensive numbers are not quite as glossy.

Again, it's likely that Smart will need some time to reintegrate and he might not be as crisp while that ankle recovers. But he's going to help Boston. A glance at Boston's top two-man lineups finds Smart accounting for a handful of them. The Smart-Jared Sullinger lineup had a net differential of plus-38.3 in 43 minutes of court time (pairing an offensive rating of 134 with a defensive rating of 95.7). Smart and Rondo were plus-11.8 in net rating in 45 minutes together.

Smart had to be stretchered off the court after stepping awkwardly on the foot of Indiana's Lavoy Allen while driving to the basket back on Nov. 7. Tests revealed only a severe sprain of his left ankle and bone bruising, and the team announced his recovery would take two to three weeks. Friday's game would be exactly three weeks from the injury.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens has noted that the team will not rush Smart back until he's ready. If he wakes up Wednesday -- or Friday morning -- and the ankle doesn't feel right, there's no sense in forcing him to go.

But there's no denying that Boston is a better team with a healthy Smart.



While the Celtics enjoyed a second straight off-day on Tuesday, Smart traveled north for a "Teaming Up Against Cancer" pep rally with students at South Lawrence East Elementary School.

Smart told the students about watching his older brother, Todd Westbrook, lose his battle with cancer. And Smart applauded the efforts of the elementary school kids, who are wrapping up a monthlong program aimed at raising awareness for social causes.

"I was 10 years old when I lost my brother to cancer,” said Smart. “Seeing these kids here and what they’re doing teaming up against cancer, it almost brings tears to your eyes that somebody so young understands and they can make a difference at their age."

^ Back to Top ^